124 Dr. A. W. Hoftnan on the Organic Bases 



caustic or carbonated alkalies, chloride of sodium and sulphate 

 of magnesia separate it. 



In its behaviour with water the cyanol obtained from the 

 oxalate differs essentially from that purified only by distillation. 

 The latter is dissolved in very large quantities by water, and 

 on the other hand absorbs as large a proportion. In conse- 

 quence of a suggestion of Berzelius 1 intended to determine the 

 quantity of water absorbed by cyanol at an ordinary temperature, 

 to ascertain whether there was a hydrate C 12 H 7 N + HO formed. 



For this investigation I employed distilled cyanol, the purest 

 at that time being unknown to me. I mixed the oil with an 

 excess of water and kept it at the temperature of 53^° Fahr.; 

 after some days had elapsed the menstruum had separated into 

 two distinct layers; the undermost was a solution of the base 

 in water, and the upper stratum hydrated cyanol. I removed 

 carefully the latter with a pipette and ignited it with oxide of 

 copper. 



0*3918 grm. hydrated cyanol gave 0'7528 of carbonic acid 

 and 0*3154 of water. 



The analysis represented centesimally : — 

 Carbon .... 52-838 

 Hydrogen . . . 8*944 



In 100 parts, therefore, of hydrated cyanol are contained 30 

 parts of water, which shows that 100 parts of the dry base at 

 53 2° Fahr. combine with 45 parts, or nearly half their weight. 



The formula C 12 H 7 N -f HO corresponds to the following 

 per-centage : — 



Carbon .... 70*719 

 Hydrogen . . . 7*756 

 100 parts of the hydrate contain 8-7 parts of water. 



Although from the preceding experiments cyanol appears 

 to have absorbed nearly three times as much water as was 

 sufficient to constitute a simple hydrate, still this is by no 

 means a satisfactory proof of the non-existence of such a com- 

 bination, because the perfectly pure cyanol, as was previously 

 stated, dissolves a considerably smaller quantity of water. 



The following differences between the pure and smelling 

 cyanol are worthy of remark. The former dissolves in water 

 the more the higher the temperature, and a boiling saturated 

 solution becomes milk-white upon cooling with separation of 

 the oil. Cyanol, on the contrary, which still contains the 

 smelling substance, presents a similar anomaly to that which 

 Geiger has ascribed to coniine. A cold saturated solution of 

 this oil in water, or of water in the oil, becomes cloudy even 

 by the warmth of the hand ; and this appearance increases 

 as the temperature is raised. If the liquid is boiled the 



